She who would be Queen
by A Beautiful Breakdown
Summary: Sirius and a childhood friend are left behind as their parents go out on business. A young Sirius, fearful of going against his parents wishes, attempts to reason with the young wildcard as she dances dangerously hand in hand with death. Childish fantasy


"Do ya think, if I closed my eyes and let myself fall… I could fly?" A young girl's sweet voice called as her bare feet brushed against the thick railing of her bedroom balcony. Sweet black curls danced about her face wildly, as the wind swept through the trees with care. It was just enough to cause the snowflakes which fell from the heavily burdened clouds to cascade to the earth with a careless ease. They fell, hiding deep within her thick curls, blessing her with a wet crown of snow. Like an angel she danced dangerously, one foot over the other, spinning as she walked, step after step after step, without ever realizing how close she stood from her death. With her arms spread to the sky she allowed them to rise over her head, like a ballerina, twirling around, catching the cold snow within her dainty, pale hands. The cold was a comfort, even the crisp smell which intoxicated her made her happy. Her head tilting back, she turned once more, feet just barely gripping the cold metal surface while she caught snowflakes on her tongue and giggled with a merry delight, "If I jumped… would the snow carry me away?"

They were such foolish questions, but to the mind of a child anything was possible. The young boy whom she played with sat in the corner near the warmth of the door, his naïve blue eyes watching. Within the pit of his stomach he felt a pain bubbling up, a worry, his eyes following every turn her body made, and the pivoting of her feet. They were told to stay in doors yet she insisted on being outside. They were told to stay away from the balcony, yet she insisted on watching the snow. What if she fell, what if she hurt herself, what would their parents say… "Adrian, come inside now… its cold…" the little boy whined pathetically as he wrapped his arms around his body, holding them there tightly. He shivered in fear and with the cold setting into his scrawny body.

"Oh Sirius.." as she giggled she stopped spinning, her feet resting close to the edge, "don't be silly… it's lovely out.." her voice raised a few notes as she threw herself into another spin, her shoulders thrown high as her arms splayed out, palms up reaching for the heavens. But as she came around from her spin she stopped with a smile, dimples lighting up her face before her friend's seriousness could register. "You aren't afraid of being caught are you?" practically teasing him now the little girl, Adrian, stood with her hands on her hips, her pretty white nightdress blowing about her ankles as the snow continued to kiss her rosy red cheeks.

Indignant, the young boy stood tall, his arms dropped to his sides as if to make a strong statement. "I'm not afraid…" With the stomp of his food he scowled at the pretty girl, his unkempt black hair littered with snowflakes.

"Scardieee scardie" she taunted unmercifully, her body wiggling in time to the syllables, still standing perched upon her railing, nothing other then the night sky behind her.

"I'm not scared!" he practically shouted at her, his temper getting the best of him before he could realize he had yelled at her.

It was now her turn to be offended, her eyes wide and brimming with anger, "prove it then" she huffed haughtily, her tongue darting over her cracked lips, which had been bitten by the frost. "Get up here and prove it to me..." She knew he would not do it, she knew he would be too afraid to cross his father's words; he was the obedient puppy of the family, always being walked over and hating every moment of it.

The anger built up within him like a volcano ready to erupt. His hands clenched together, so tightly that whatever little color flourished within them seeped away into pale nothingness. "FINE!" he cried loudly, storming up to the metal railing. His little fingers gripped at the cold metal, and it burned his flesh as he attempted to hoist himself up. The wind licked at his face yet all he could see as he looked up was Adrian's form towering over him. Her hands placed upon her hips she mocked him and his families name, he needed to prove her wrong, desperately. "Then we go inside…" There would be no negotiation; that was how it was, no way around it.

Pulling himself up, he struggled, the metal pressed against his stomach, the cold burning through his shirt to scorch his stomach, yet it did not stop him. His feet swung desperately for the bottom pole, hoping for a boost up. Adrian giggling all the while, "shut up!" he hollered at her, pulling himself to stand atop the railing. Now, at her level it was clear he was quite a bit taller then her. His form no longer hidden behind shrugged shoulders and folded arms, he was a mature looking young man, at least eight or nine in age and growing up to be a fine young man indeed.

She on the other hand did not look impressed, her eyes twinkled with a mischievous grin, one blue the other a mismatched green. She was a unique princess with a halo of ebony. Her crown made of ice set itself a top her head and made her feel like a queen. Practically ignoring his wishes she turned her back to him and walked away, her head down, chin tucked under as she walked, one foot before the other, her pace easy and gentle, as if the little one were gliding upon air. Then she turned, sharply, so that made Sirius flinch, "dance with me…" she demanded, her hand reaching out for his.

"What!" he couldn't believe his ears, proving himself meant nothing to her, and now she wanted to dance?  
"Please… I would enjoy it so…" her voice chimed the air like a lady; still her hand remained extended towards him, waiting in anticipation to see if he would accept it, or turn her down.

After a few passing moments he grasped her hand and pulled her close to him. His white shirt unbuttoned half way and hanging from his black trousers made him look like a gentlemen returning from a late evening party. While she remained the beauty in white, the lace about her ankles tickled her flesh as she drew closer. His arm fit around her perfectly, holding her tight to his body as she rested her wet crown against his shoulder. Both had been raised within families of wealth and prestige, proper dining etiquette, dancing, it was all part of their world.

"This is dangerous Adrian…" Sirius finally found the words to speak into her ear as they moved on the spot, slowly twirling beneath the falling snow.

"shhh.." With no desire to listen to him she hushed his speech and closed her eyes, resting against him. "don't ruin it…" barely a whisper her voice was stolen away by the late night's sky, the wind picking up to dance across the roof only bringing more snow to join their waltz. Falling only to be picked up once more, those flakes hovered above the ground, taunting it with their cold wintry nip.

Both children were oblivious to how close they came to the edge, Adrian's sway and swagger only caused Sirius to loose himself within the moment, his cheek resting against her damp pillow of satin while he inched closer to his impending doom. For it all came without warning, desperate for a place to rest his foot, Sirius stepped back, missing the ledge by mere millimeters, his toes slipped from the metal and he felt his body begin to fall. Fear wrapped itself about his throat and began to steal the air from his lungs. He watched the snowflakes falling towards him, his arms slipping from his young friend's body as he tumbled backwards towards the ground so far below.

Adrian stifled a scream, her throat burned as nothing more then a squeal escaped her, her hand groping for any part of Sirius which she might use to hold him up. Slowly he slipped from her, backwards into the night. It was then that it became obvious, if they fell, they would not fly, and the snow would not carry them. Her fingers grasped at his shirt sleeves, body arched backwards, using her own weight to steady his. "Please don't fall please don't fall…" she muttered softly to herself, the strain evident upon her face as she clenched her teeth and pulled. "Sirius please…" warm salty tears slipped from her cheeks as she watched the horrific look upon his face, his scared blue eyes hidden away beneath shaggy black hair, and all she could do was hold on. "we'll go in… I promise…" the sobs shook her body, her entire form trembling with the cold that nipped at her bare flesh. The cloth slipped away between her fingers and she held on tighter, pulling one last time with the rest of her energy.

His body lurched forward and Adrian tumbled to the ground, her head hitting off the cement so hard that it recoiled. Her unique eyes were closed tightly in pain as Sirius fell on top of her, his heavy body nearly crushing hers. He was just happy to be alive. It took him a few moments, and Adrian's whimper for him to realize what was happening. As he sprung to his feet, his knees feeling the pain from the fall, his eyes fell upon his young female friend… and he felt happy. They were alive and that's all that mattered to him.

Though her moans grew louder and in the distance lights could be seen coiling up the winding pathway towards the house. Their parents and their parent's friends were returning from their evening out. The darkness cloaked them, concealing them within the shadows. The light from their wands allowed them to see the path before them and now alerted Sirius of the coming danger. Disobedience did not go unpunished within the Black family, nor did it within Adrian's. The young girls moans grew louder, her body slowly beginning to move as the cold drained away her ivory skin tone to replace it with a dangerous icy blue.

"Adrian, come on, your parents are coming…" the little boy called to his dear friend as he propped her head up with his hands. She looked like an angel, so delicate he hated to disturb her, "Adrian… get up now…" He tried to force her but her cries grew louder, and the voices now below them warned them of what little time they had and Adrian was proving extremely difficult to rouse.

"I'm coming…" the little ones speech was slurred as if she had been sleeping for a long period of time. As she drew herself to her feet, clinging to Sirius desperately, her free hand ran its way through her hair, fingers becoming tangled within the ebony mess.

Sirius opened the door for her, leading her inside, and hurried her towards her neatly made bed, "come on crawl in…" he even attempted to tuck her in, the young ones eyes growing droopy now, possibly due to the bang on her head.

Though she protested, she would not allow him to draw the covers up, nor would she allow him to say goodnight. Her hand grasped his wrist, eyes opening, to shine in the dimly lit room. "Don't..." Her lips formed an o-so-adorable pout; calling him to lay with her while she slept. It was a common thing when they were children, but now nearing ten Sirius felt it awkward. The boy was growing up, in need of his space and time to think, for things were not as they were before.

He hesitated greatly, watching her as she begged with him, no word necessary, their only communication done within their eyes, "alright…" agreeing he crawled in beside her, he pulled the blankets up over himself just as an argument broke out at the bottom of the stairwell. It was always obvious when the adults were around. Everything grew serious, voices were raised and tension lurked within the air causing everyone to become uneasy. It was hardest on Adrian, Sirius knew this, and at that moment the poor girl had her eyes closed so tight he couldn't imagine it not hurting. He knew she lived through this everyday. He knew she watched her mother abuse her father, even Sirius had seen it. Both children had been privy to scenes of violence no child should ever witness. It was another consequence of living the lifestyle they had been born into.

"No, you let them see your face, how could you do that!" a woman's voice hollered from outside the doorway, "you idiot, that's one more gone then needs to be… it's going to start looking suspicious!" she practically barked, her rings clanging against doorknob as she continued to yell, "this is your fault, not mine!" the horrible sound of her voice carried through the door, growing louder as she pushed it open to peer in on the children, "for god sakes their asleep, will you shut up!" again the shrill sound of her voice rang out, it caused both Sirius and Adrian to shiver before the door was closed. The little girl drew closer to Sirius as they both listened to her parents fight, Adrian's small fingers curled about Sirius' shaggy mess of hair.

Neither got much sleep, they lay in bed, watching the snow as it fell to the earth like little fairies dancing at the windows. Frost webbed its way up the window pain, appearing like crystal in the moonlight which flowed into the room in pools. Every time Adrian appeared to be drifting off, Sirius would watch her. The little ones eyes growing heavy, the way her tongue darted over her lips and her body allowed soft moans to escape. He knew beyond their world she was something more then a deatheaters daughter, he knew beyond those eyes she was a princess born to be a queen.


End file.
